I Could Give You Everything
by I Draw Words
Summary: Alex Drake decides to write a letter- one in which she never intends to send. A letter to Gene. Confusion corrupts her thoughts but she decides to pursue her own psychological method in order to express her feelings. GALEX. R
1. Chapter 1

**Ok guys, my name's Claire- just in case you had an urge to know. ;) I'm currently doing my last year of GCSEs this year; so what great practice this is! This is my first attempt at FanFic (well, the first time I've published a story) so don't be surprised if it's completely and utterly rubbish. I'm not used to writing sad, soppy, romantic pieces of writing, but I hope this was ok! Please, even if you think it's appalling, don't hesitate to review. Criticisms and praise are both wanted by me! Don't worry, I won't eat your face off if you say that I don't have enough sentence variety or too many comma splices... I'll shut up now... Ok, please read on!**

Alex Drake was sat in her trademark zebra print sofa, paper and pen in hand. What was she doing? She didn't normally write letters that she didn't intend to send, unless she did intend to send them and then chickened out. A few brief examples came to mind: writing a runaway letter to her mum, writing an "I hate you" letter to Evan- no, they were different. They were cases of her being a lonely, confused little child who couldn't quite grip hold of the world she was part of. Both of those letters were about hatred and attention.

As a child (even when her parents _were_ alive), Alex had felt unloved, unwanted and unheard. Of course, the death of her parents didn't make it any better. Evan was never a good one for support and comfort- hence the "I hate you" letter. Emotions never seemed to be able to escape her as the years went on. She grew a thick layer of skin and took everything with both hands; confronting anything and everything that got in her way. So, why did she feel so hopeless now? Why did she feel that she could break down crying at any moment? It just wasn't her. Nothing she had ever experienced had even come close to the feelings she had fluttering around in her insides right at this moment.

It was like she needed to release all of these thoughts before she accidentally verbalized them in front of one of her colleagues. 'Now that would be funny, wouldn't it?' she mused to herself. Maybe if she wrote these feelings down, they would go away and leave her to get on with her life in this world. Maybe this was the reason why she wasn't able to go home just yet. She really didn't know. All she knew was that she needed to write her thoughts down. No matter how soppy, pathetic or love-struck it may sound, she needed to do it. Her eyes began to well up with stinging tears- she didn't let them fall.

If she wanted to write this down, did it mean that it was true? That she was finally accepting her feelings? Alex didn't know whether she wanted to admit it quite yet. But, in all fairness, three years was long enough- wasn't it? Yes. Yes it was. Three years was far too long to bottle up all these emotions.

She put her pen to paper, hesitating a moment before she began scribbling down everything that had been swirling around uncontrollably in her head… And in her heart too.

_Gene,_

_I don't really know why I'm going through with this- this letter, I mean. I'm not sending it to you anyway. You could never understand how I feel about you, even if you did read it. _

_I remember the first time I saw you; your macho bravado, your pathetic sexist jokes, your old-fashioned ways. You see, I don't usually fall for men like you, but there's something different about you…Something I can't put my finger on- but I know that's why I'm in love with you._

_We shout and we argue continuously- but that's something I can't help doing. That spark in your eyes when you know you're right makes me melt inside, and that famous pout you use, whilst in any mood, makes me want to kiss you so badly. I like to argue with you because it makes us seem more intimate, more like a couple. Right now that's what I'm craving: for us to be a couple. _

_No matter how much time we spend in Luigi's, drinking ourselves to oblivion; it doesn't stop me wanting to be wrapped up your arms and kissed by your tender lips. To be able to smell __**your**__ smell, whilst I fall asleep is something that I wish could happen every night of my life. To hear your steady heart beat next to mine, in sync with each other, makes me want to cry with frustration. Because, at the moment, I can't have that. I want it. I __**really**__ want it, but I know I should be focusing more towards my daughter, Molly. She needs me, she can't be without me._

_I feel so guilty about loving you, you're the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the only person I dream of whilst I'm asleep. Deep down I know it should be my daughter that I'm thinking of- but I can't control these powerful emotions coursing through my veins, seeping out of my eyes in the form of tears. You own me, Hunt. You don't know it yet, but you do. For three years I have belonged to you, three very long years. _

_I'm not going to deny that I don't love you, because that would be hard for me to do. I can't try and stop my legs turning to jelly when I feel your breath on my skin, or my breathing hitching when you call my name. I can't even stop the tingling feeling through my bones when you accidentally brush my hand. I just can't._

_I wish you felt the same way about me. Who knows, there may be a slim chance that you do; but you'd never say it. Not Gene Hunt, not the Manc Lion. You're too "manly" for that. But I may be wrong. You may already have someone in your life- someone I don't know of. You may spend every night curled up in bed, with her head on your chest as it rises and falls with your intake of breath. She could be everything I'm not: easy, simple, curves in the right places. But I hope (if you are with a woman) she treats you with the amount of love you deserve- the amount of love I could give you. __**I**__ could give you everything, Gene. I could give you my body, my heart, my soul._

_Yours always,_

_Alex_

_X_

Alex Drake signed her name at the bottom of the page as the last tears spilled from her eyes and landed on the page, smudging the black ink. Every word of it was true. She could indeed, give him everything.

**How was it? Good? Bad? Mediocre? I'm really worried now... What if you hate it? What if you think I've portrayed Alex wrong? Damn, I'm such a FanFic noob. Anyway, should I carry on? I have some ideas as to how it could be made into a proper stories- chapters and everything! :O**

**Thanks :) x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! I had no idea you would actually like it. This is chapter 2, a little bit longer but nothing really happens in it like that. Basically, this is the introduction for the plot-line. I didn't want things happening too quickly. Sorry if it's a little dull. :/ I did rush it a little, but all of your reviews just made me want to carry on writing and never stop! I wish I added more of Gene in this one... Ahh well. Please carry on reading though, even if you do think it's not as good as the first chapter (which I know it isn't).**

It was a cold, icy Monday morning: the roads were slippery and the sky was black with shadowy looking clouds. London looked as miserable as ever. Alex was sleeping soundly under her red silk duvet- obviously unaware of the coldness outside. She shuffled around whilst pulling the cover up closer to her face, attempting to trap the comfort of the warmth.

Next to her bed- on the bedside table- lay the letter. It had been a few days since she had written it, and she still hadn't decided to throw it away yet. No matter how hard she tried to tear it into pieces, she just couldn't go through with it. This letter reminded her of how she felt and how much she wanted to show her emotions. She was worried that she would be throwing away her feelings if she discarded of it.

There she was, a top-end psychologist, and she still couldn't work out how to analyze herself. Being in love with Gene Hunt sounded so ridiculous to her; she found it extremely hard to come-to-terms with it, let alone show it.

Peaceful silence surrounded her flat and the outside world.

Well, it was silent until the phone rang. It was answered unenthusiastically by Alex, who happened to be still half asleep. She picked the receiver up and placed it lightly to her ear.

"Hello, Alex Drake speaking?"

"Hello, Bolls." It was Gene.

Alex panicked for a second. This was the first time she had heard his voice since she had written her letter. With all the thoughts and the words still imprinted in her mind, she knew that she had to be careful not to show any sort of emotion towards him. She composed herself briefly before replying.

"Yes? What do you want? You must've called for some odd reason!"

"No, actually, I called to see how you were." Gene replied almost nonchalantly. '_What_?' Alex thought; the panicking beginning to return. Soon she found herself unable to think straight.

"Really?" The curiosity and the eagerness shone through her voice more than she wanted it to.

"What, no! Of course bloody not!"

"Oh… Then why did you call?" Alex mentally slapped herself. How could she be so stupid? Gene Hunt would never call to "see how she was"- she wasn't thinking straight at all. Maybe she should've ripped the letter up…

"Well, I was wondering when you were going to come into bloody work. It's 9:30 already, Drake! Get your arse here pronto!" He shouted, using his usual brashness.

Before Alex had time to reply, he had hung up, leaving only the loud droning noise of the phone to be heard. She laid the phone back on its cradle whilst releasing an exasperated sigh- she had forgotten that she had to work today. Alex waited a few seconds longer before getting out of bed and preparing for the day ahead.

Once dressed, she tucked the letter into her coat pocket- she didn't want to leave it alone for one second.

xxx

"DI Drake, how nice of you to show your face!" DCI Hunt gave her the most patronizing grin he could manage, whilst placing a pile of files onto her desk. Alex just smiled, unable to think of one of her usual witty replies. She grabbed one of the files and started to skim-read through it, whilst trying to set her mind to anything else but Gene- who was currently still standing in front of her.

The last page arrived quicker than she thought and Gene was still there, waiting. Raising her head up, she looked him in the eyes- questioning his reason for standing there.

"Well?" He broke the silence.

""Well" what?" Alex had no idea what he was getting at. She continued to give him eye contact- although soon she found herself being forced into doing it, rather than controlling the act herself. His eyes were utterly captivating.

"You're obviously in one of your moods. We might as well get the moaning and the groaning out of the way." Gene shifted a little and placed one hand on his hip- expecting a long, heated argument.

How could he be so casual? How could he be so_ relaxed_ when she was burning with passion inside? Alex almost felt angry at him, blaming him for bringing out all the emotions and thoughts that she hadn't felt in a long time. Replying with an actual argument seemed so appealing to Alex, but she decided against it. She couldn't muster up the mental strength to think of any good come-backs.

She finally replied softly, after beginning to wonder whether he had spotted anything wrong. "No, I'm not going to "moan and groan" at you. What made you think that?"

"Well, judging by the fact that I can never shut that gob of yours, it seems surprising that you enter here as quiet as a bleedin' dormouse! I just assumed that you would be biting my ears off for the next two or three hours." Gene checked his watch to exaggerate his point.

"Well then; you must've thought wrong…" Alex murmured before transfixing her eyes back onto the files in front of her. She didn't properly focus on the words until he had gone back into his office. How could she focus when his smell was wafting straight into her nostrils? It made her feel faint.

Slowly she took her letter to Gene out of her pocket and rested it on her lap. She then opened the envelope and took the lined paper out to reveal her squiggly, untidy handwriting. The tears that had smudged the ink were still there, staining the crisp white paper with a watered-black colour. Letting out a sigh, she gripped the paper tighter whilst closing her eyes. She allowed herself to relax, take a few breaths and forget about_ him_; just for today. Although that was pretty hard, seeing as he was only sitting just a few meters away,

When she opened her eyes again, Alex expected to see everyone looking at her with confused looks. Fortunately no one was. No one knew, not even Shaz- the most intelligent of the lot. No one knew how she felt, it was her little secret.

xxx

Feeling like she needed some sort of a break, Alex rose from her chair, placing the letter carefully on the seat without thinking, and went to the kitchen to make herself a coffee. Whilst boiling the kettle, a chirpy-looking Shaz walked in.

"No need for that Ma'am, I'll make you one!" She offered politely.

"Thanks Shaz, but I'm fine, really. I needed a little break anyway…" Alex averted her eyes from the WPC; a big mistake to make.

"What's wrong Ma'am? What do you need a break from?" Shaz's face rapidly changed from being excited, to sympathetic. Alex cursed to herself. She loved Shaz to pieces, but this wasn't the right time for a heart-to-heart conversation.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Shaz! You know, work is just piling up, I needed a break." Alex gave her a hell-of-a-convincing smile, in hope that she wouldn't ask any further questions.

"Well, if you ever need help with any paperwork, I'd be happy to help. Or you could just go and talk to the Guv, he could reduce it for you…" Shaz stopped mid-sentence- everyone knew that Gene Hunt would never "reduce" the work load!

The kettle let out a piercing whistle, signaling that the water had now boiled. Alex gave Shaz a quick smile before resuming making her cup of coffee. "Go on, you go on and get back to work, I'll make you a cup too, okay?" Alex said whilst grabbing another mug from the cupboard.

A few minutes later she had entered CID, placing one mug on Shaz's desk, and the other on her own. Chris and Ray gave her annoyed looks, expecting a coffee too. "Sorry", she mouthed to them, whilst lowering herself onto her seat. Remembering that she had placed her letter on her chair, she checked the surface with her hand.

There was nothing there. It had gone.

**Ooooh, the suspense is killing me! No, no it's not, I know what happens. :) I hope that was ok. If you think I could add, edit, reduce anything, please let me know. :) Read and Review please!**

**Thanks :) x**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the 3rd chapter guys! Slightly longer than the other two. By the way, I've stopped all the pessimism for today! This hasn't been proof-read because I wanted to post it really quickly. :) Please enjoy it, I spent quite a while typing it up. :)**

"Where is it?" Alex whispered through gritted teeth. She had searched everywhere; her desk, her draws, underneath her desk, around her desk- she even looked on the bloody ceiling for it! It was no where to be found. Someone must have taken it whilst she was in the kitchen, there couldn't be any other explanation for it.

It couldn't have been Shaz; she was in the kitchen with her at the time. Unless she had taken it _before_ she had arrived- in that case, she would've only come into the kitchen to create a perfectly plausible alibi… 'No', Alex pondered, 'Shaz would never do something like that, she's too innocent.' There was also Chris and Ray with their cheeky, mischievous attitude; they were definitely two likely suspects. Either one (or both) could have easily slipped out, nicked the letter and then run back to their desks in a matter of seconds. Although, when she walked back into CID, their faces didn't seem to give anything away. Usually they tended to look guilty once they had done something like this.

There was only one thing that she was sure of. The culprit must have been in the room while she was looking at the letter; watching her until she left. But how many officers were in the room at the time? Hell, she couldn't even count that with her fingers! There was only one thing for it- she needed to ask around, gather some sort of starting point for her "investigation".

"Right, listen up!" All of CID turned their heads in her direction. Even Gene came out of his office to hear-her-out. "There was a letter, right there," she pointed to her seat, "where is it? Someone must have taken it. Whoever it is, please can you return it- _now_." All she received were blank stares, no guilty faces in sight.

"What's so important about this letter, Bolls? Is it evidence?" Gene asked, moving out of the doorway and standing beside her. There it was- that smell. It was snaking its way back into her sinuses, intoxicating her with its fragrance. Alex rested her hands on the table, determined not to let him make her feel weak. She wished he would move just a few steps away, the butterflies were returning- she didn't want them to, but she couldn't do anything to stop them fluttering about.

"Err, yes, evidence. It's evidence- from one of my reliable sources." Alex only hoped that he would believe her.

"If it's evidence, why isn't it in the bloody evidence room? More importantly, why was it on your chair? You could've squashed it with that arse of yours." Gene smirked at his own comment and then looked at her backside, "Sure it didn't attach itself when you sat up?" The room roared with laughter, causing Alex to blush with embarrassment and anger. If only he knew how important that letter really was. Maybe then he'd stop kidding around and listen to what she had to say. His ignorance of the situation was really starting to get to her, even though he wasn't to blame, she couldn't help but feel angry at him. He was the reason for her writing the damn thing in the first place.

"It's not in the evidence room because I was analyzing it. I was trying to work out the character-type and emotion the author was experiencing whilst writing it." Alex hated lying to him, but he wouldn't pay attention unless he understood how vital this was.

Out of nowhere, Ray piped up, "What case is it from?" He looked genuinely interested.

"Pardon?" Alex was caught of guard, she needed to think quickly.

"I said, what case is it from?" she didn't reply, "You said that it was evidence, evidence for what?" Ray waited eagerly, as well as the rest of the room. The pressure was really beginning to rise.

"…It's not from a case- well, not from a case that's on-the-go. I received it in my pigeonhole this morning; it's for my eyes only- _completely_ confidential." Ray didn't reply he just simply nodded in understanding. However, he failed to suppress a smug smile, one that was noticed by Alex. He knew that she was lying- if only a little.

She was beginning to dig herself a big hole, one of which would be difficult to climb out of. She needed to get out soon, before even more awkward questions were asked. "Right, ok then. If you see it, please give it to me. Do not, under _any_ circumstances, open the letter!" Giving them all a challenging glare, she barged out of the double doors.

Alex still knew that the person (or persons) who took it was in that room. They were hiding it particularly well though. Each of them looked completely innocent, as if they had no idea the letter even existed. She was making her way to the front desk, when she heard Gene's unmistakable voice call after her.

"Alex?" He jogged a little to catch up.

"What?" She turned to face him; one of his golden locks was drooping above one of his eyes. She had to resist tucking it back up into the rest of his hair. Gene was looking absolutely gorgeous. Alex felt the want returning rapidly, she tried to push it to the back of her mind- pretending that she didn't have feelings for him at all. Pretending that she wasn't going on this massive "hunt" just so that she could hide her feelings from him. It sounded so pathetic when she thought about it: not just her need for getting the letter back safely into her possession, but also the fact that she was _hiding_ it from him. She didn't want him to find out, of course not, but part of her needed to allow her to express herself to him.

"That letter, what is it? If it's as important as you say it is, don't you think you should tell me about it? I'm your DCI for Christ sake!" He looked pretty peeved.

"I can't tell you, Gene… I know you're my DCI, and you probably do have the right to know. But it was given to me; I _have_ to keep the contents of it secret." Alex spoke in a soft voice: she couldn't vocalize her normal strong, independent tone of voice

"I think you'll find its _DCI Hunt_ in here, Drake" he spat, "I don't know what you're hiding from me, but I know if it's that "significant" to you, you'd come to me. It hurts to know that you haven't." And with that, he charged off, leaving her in the middle of the corridor.

His words had hurt her- especially the use of her surname. She let out a long, unsteady breath- one that she had been holding-in subconsciously. Alex didn't want to hurt him, but it was for the best. The least he knew about her "little secret", the better. Then she could focus on more important things- rather than trying to feed her ever-growing need for him.

xxx

"Ah, Ma'am! How can I help you?" Viv welcomed her as she walked to the desk.

She gave him a brief smile, "Yes, have you seen a letter about? It hasn't got anything written on the envelope, I've been looking everywhere for it."

"Hmm, I did see one unnamed envelope around here somewhere…" He thought, trying to recall his memory.

"Great! Where is it?"

"I think I saw Chris with it… Yes, it was Chris. He walked past earlier, holding the envelope in both hands and then proceeded into CID. I have no idea where he put it though, Ma'am." He shrugged his shoulders and then proceeded to file the prison reports.

'Chris better have a bloody good explanation for this, or I swear to God…" Alex thought angrily. She stopped mid-way, fearing that Viv may notice her teeth grinding together and her fists clench.

"Okay, thanks Viv" Alex rushed into CID, and started to search desperately. By now, everyone had headed off to Luigi's for "beer O'clock". At least that gave her time to snoop around a little.

After a while of pointless exploring in the main room, she decided to have a quick look in Gene's office. It had been the first time she had entered there in ages. She had been avoiding it as much as possible the last couple of weeks, because she knew that going in there would just stir up her hormones even more. If she was brutally honest with herself, she only really went in there to get her daily "dosage" of Gene: she felt closer to him when she was around his belongings. Alex explored every nook and cranny of his office, taking in every single little thing that he owned. She did this a lot without even realizing. Absorbing everything that he possessed just made her yearn for him even more- the total opposite of what she actually wanted to happen.

Snapping out of her trance, she decided to look for the letter. It wasn't long before she found the familiar envelope. A sigh of relief escaped her lips; she had found it, no need to worry now. She picked it up and held it close to her chest- this was the last time she would ever think about taking something this personal into work, she nearly had died with panic!

Before she knew it, she was opening the flap and taking out the paper. She needed to read it again to reassure her that it was safe in her hands. To make sure that Gene hadn't in fact read it; because if he had, she wouldn't have a clue what to do with herself. What would he do if he found out how she felt? Would it be another case of unrequited love? Alex couldn't bare the thought of Gene finding out about her "weakness". Yes, her weakness was him- Gene Hunt.

Alex opened up the folded paper and stared at the page. She had no idea _what_ kind of expression was on her face, but whatever it was, it fell in an instant. She couldn't even move; the frustration, the rage, the _anger_ consumed her body, fixing her to the spot. Even blinking was completely impossible to do. Before she knew it, tears of annoyance started to prickle in her eyes.

"Those bastards..." she said through her tears.

She looked back down onto the page. A big, red-inked patronizing smiley face was staring back at her- it must have been drawn with one of the whiteboard pens. Alex ripped the paper up and threw it in Gene's bin.

She still had no idea about the whereabouts of the letter.

**Did you really think I'd let her find it? It's way too early for that! :) I hope this was okay, guys. In the next chapter I hope to have some slightly more Galexy related things. I have no idea when it will be posted but I'll see whether I can get it done by Saturday or Sunday. In the mean time, read, re-read and review! Any criticisms, compliments, general comments are welcome!**

**Thanks to all of you who have been reading and reviewing this so far! I have much love for you guys! :)**

x


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story! It means so much to get feedback from you guys. They put a smile on my face when I read them so tank you... Again! :)**

**Anyway this is Chapter 4 (in case you are not able to count)! This hasn't been proofread, so if you find any mistakes, please let me know. There's nothing much towards the plot in this one but it will pick up a lot more in the next chapters (well, depending on how many I write!). That's a point, I have no iea how many chapters will be in this story... I don't know, we'll see how it goes I suppose! :) **

Alex stormed out of Gene's office. This was beginning to turn into a horrid nightmare; one that kept on getting worse and worse. Who'd have thought that one letter would cause this much hassle? Taking a quick look around the room, she tried to spot the red marker pen that may have been used to draw the face. It was useless, there were too many, spread-out all over the desks. Whoever did it was probably clever enough to take the pen with them after they had finished. Unless it was Chris of course! They most likely placed it back near the whiteboard, where all of the other pens were grouped together. Alex knew that she was wasting time here. She should be out there hunting down the person who had it.

Taking one last look around the room, she hurried out of the building. She then made her way down to Luigi's, where the rest of CID were enjoying their "lunch time". Walking through the door, she was greeted by many smiling, slightly drunken faces- including Luigi, who was drying-off some cutlery and glasses behind the bar. She made her way over to him and asked for a glass of red wine.

"No need Bollykecks" Gene was beside her in a matter of seconds. He handed her a glass of Luigi's "house rubbish" before returning to _their_ corner table. Alex took his hint and followed him. She sat down next to him, making sure that she wasn't _too_ close to him, in fear that she could turn into a head-over-heels-in-love wreck.

"I'm sorry about earlier" she began, not knowing quite what to say, "I didn't mean to upset you…" God, this was turning out to be very awkward to Alex. It almost sounded as if she was apologizing for loving him- although he didn't know that.

"Doesn't matter, Alex. You can inform me about that letter some other time." Gene took a sip of whiskey from his tumbler, before looking Alex straight in the eyes.

She felt like she was melting under his gaze- like a snowman in the blazing sun. His steel blue eyes seemed to pierce through hers; reading her thoughts and observing her soul. Under his gaze she was helpless, like a rabbit caught in headlights- all of her thoughts were incoherent and she found that she could barely breathe. Nothing else even mattered to her right now; all she could think of were his eyes looking directly into hers. He was controlling her every movement with just one look. She had never felt like this before, perhaps writing that letter had somehow enhanced her feelings towards him. Maybe it just made her love him even more. If so, that meant that she was caving into her feelings. Was this what she wanted?

It wasn't until she heard the faint calling of her name, did she snap out of her daze. "Alex? Alex? Earth to Alex?" Gene was calling her name pretty loudly now, whilst waving a hand in front of her face. He had a barely noticeable smile on his face.

"Yes? Sorry about that… I was in my own little world for a moment!" Alex shook her head slightly, in hope that she could clear away some of her thoughts.

"I noticed. Not that it's anything out-of-the-ordinary for you." He smirked, "So, did you find that letter you were ranting on about?"

"No, I still think it's someone from CID that has it though." Alex took a gulp of her red wine, appreciating the warmth it provided.

"Why would one of my team take it if they knew it was evidence?" He frowned, not quite understanding her story.

"I… I don't know. It's none of their business and they should just leave it alone." Oh God, had she said too much? She completely forgot who she was talking to. Gene Hunt couldn't know the contents of the letter- he _was_ the contents!

Gene sighed. He knew that Alex was lying through her teeth; he could always tell when she was lying because she didn't tend to do it much. Why was she keeping it a secret from him? He was her DCI for crying out loud! And her friend… Well, so he thought. They were on such good terms a few weeks ago- they were even beginning to become closer, almost like… No, they couldn't have been _that_ close to even consider being more than friends, could they? But now Alex was being more distant than ever. It was almost like she was ignoring him altogether. Gene Hunt hated that. He hated feeling hurt when she "forgot" to say good morning, or when she entered his office less frequently. Had he done something wrong? Because at this precise moment, he couldn't understand how she could change her attitude towards him so bloody quickly. He knew he was stronger than that, but he couldn't help feeling like she was stabbing him in the back every time she acted like this. Taking another sip of his whiskey, he gathered the courage to ask her something he had wanted to ask her for days.

"What's the matter Alex? Why are you being so off with me?" He tried not to sound vulnerable, which was proving to be very hard.

"I'm not being off with you, Gene. It's just work and… the stress of trying to find that letter. It's not you." Alex averted her gaze to the table, where she tried to pretend she was interested in one of the red napkins.

"I don't believe that. You've been like this for days- weeks even. And it seems to be only me that you're being bloody off with." Gene mumbled. He hated showing that he actually cared.

Alex looked at him. Was this really affecting him? I suppose they were fairly close- even if it was in a colleague-based way. She missed "hanging out" with him like they used to too. It didn't seem right. Perhaps once she had found the letter, they could continue being work friends- although she knew that that would be a very hard thing to do. Would she ever be able to see him as _just_ a friend? It seemed impossible.

"I'm just going over to see how Shaz is…" There she was again, avoiding any awkward situation that came in her way. She couldn't help feeling like a total cow. Gene simply nodded and waved his hand, as if telling her to go away.

Alex rose from her chair and began striding over to the table where Shaz, Ray, Chris and now Viv were situated. They seemed to be having a very secretive chat amongst themselves. Each one of them were leaning into the middle of the table whilst whispering. She stepped closer to the table, trying to eaves-drop onto their conversation. At that exact point, Luigi manoeuvred his way in front of her.

"Signorina Drake, you look tired. A long day at work, yes?"

"Err yes, Luigi, a very long day at work. Excuse me…" She tried to move past him, but he stepped in the same direction, blocking her from her destination, "Sorry, could I go past?" Alex asked politely.

"No, Signorina, you need to go to bed, you look extremely tired. You go upstairs and I bring a bottle of wine, yes? On the house!" Luigi ushered her away from the table and onto the stair case. Alex obliged, slightly shocked at his persistence. She quickly went upstairs and waited for her "free" bottle of wine on her sofa. Minutes later, Luigi knocked on the door, gave her the bottle and told her to go to bed once more.

Meanwhile, downstairs in Luigi's, Shaz, Chris, Ray and Viv were plotting their next move…

**Ooooooooooh, but what are they plotting? Who knows?... I know! Anywho, what did you think of this chapter? I'd appreciate your comments; good or bad. I know that I enjoyed writing this though! :D**

**Thanks for reading/reviewing/looking at the words. :)**

**-Claire x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Sorry about the delay for Chapter 5. I've had to revise (and do) a Spanish exam, research (and do) my all-day drama exam on Monday, write notes for my drama exam... And etc. So yeah, I've been fairly busy. I hope you didn't mind waiting too much and I hope this chapter makes up for it!It doesn't really matter now though, seeing as I've now broken-up for my Christmas holidays! WOOP! I love December time, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ^^ Hey, perhaps I'll write a little Galexy one shot... I have plenty of time to do it!  
**

**Anyway, this chapter is more of a "fill in" chapter. There isn't really any plot, it just fills in the little gaps I've left for you to ponder about... But don't worry, there is no need to ponder anymore! This chapter explains everything (I hope). This was very quickly written may I add... :)  
**

**So go ahead- read...  
**

It was Shaz's idea. Well, all of them pitched-in- even Ray- but she came up with the general outline of the plan. She knew it was risky- hell, she could lose her job over this- but she couldn't stand watching her senior officers break their own hearts because they were too blind to see what was there all along. Yes, she could see right through their little masks. The trick to finding out how they felt, Shaz found, was to catch them when they were deep in thought. Because if you looked close enough, you'd be able to see their faces perk-up once their name was called by the other- or the way their eyes always clouded-over when the other walked away. But if you were particularly lucky, you'd be able to spot their little glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Those glances really made Shaz's heart melt.

She was a little surprised that the others in CID hadn't seen what she had; it was easy to spot when you looked in the right places. But then again, Chris and Ray weren't the brightest of people- especially when it came to love. Shaz couldn't resist asking them for help though; she knew that she could never carry-out this "mission" by herself. The Ma'am was a very intelligent woman, so Shaz needed as much help as possible.

Shaz was sat in CID, all by herself. It was 5 o'clock in the morning- far earlier than she usually came in, but she needed time to plan out her next move. Meanwhile, Ray and Chris were keeping the letter safely to themselves. Shaz had strictly told Chris not to open it. "It's invasion of privacy, Chris! If you, or ray, open that thing, I will see to it that you will be solely to blame for its disappearance!" she had said, slightly stricter than necessary. She herself had only glanced at it briefly- worried that if she looked any longer, the Ma'am would find out.

Whilst twiddling a pen in between her index finger and thumb, she recalled the plans previous actions…

She had seen the letter early that Monday morning- she did not know what it contained, but she had a fairly good idea. She had seen Alex look around cautiously before taking it out of her pocket and then placing it on her lap. The way she had looked told Shaz that she didn't want anyone reading it anytime soon- although Shaz knew that if she didn't tell anyone soon, her heart would consume her whole and she'd become a wreck. She didn't want that to happen. So when she saw Alex rise from her chair, place the letter on the seat and enter the kitchen, she ran over to Chris and asked him to pick it up for her. He didn't ask why, he just did it. She had followed her in there, to make sure that she gave Chris enough time to find it and then hide it.

When Alex had addressed the whole team half an hour later, Chris had given Shaz an uncertain glance. He didn't want to hand it in, incase Shaz got in a huff with him, but he didn't want to keep any secrets from the team either. Later, once Alex was out of the room, she read the letter and then decided to inform Chris, Ray and Viv about what she was planning. After saying little, she managed to convince them to help her. The idea of planning something that involved their senior officers really grabbed their full attention!

The next step was to enlighten Luigi about it. Shaz had a feeling that they wouldn't be able to _not_ talk about it in Luigi's, so they had to make sure he knew, so that he could warn Alex off if she got too close. To do this, they left Chris and Viv in Fenchurch East police station, whilst Ray and Shaz went to tell Luigi. First of all, Chris placed the decoy letter in Gene's office. There was no significance like that; it was just to buy Shaz and Ray time. If he was brutally honest though, he quite enjoyed drawing that little smiley face…

Meanwhile, Viv was distracting Alex. As soon as he saw Chris leave the double doors, he told her about Chris leaving a letter somewhere in CID. He didn't tell her where, it would give them more time to plan if she didn't know. Once Alex had charged her way into the room like a bull in a China shop, Viv then rushed into Luigi's, to confirm that his little individual assignment had succeeded.

But the best part of the plan (that day), Shaz thought, was when Luigi interrupted Alex on her way over to their table. She never knew he could be that persuasive! It was plain obvious though, he wanted Gene and Alex to be together as much as she did- he always had.

When Alex had run up the stairs and into her flat, Shaz had seen Gene's façade drop for a split second. He looked like a man that had lost everything. But he was Gene Hunt; he didn't show his emotions- ever. A few moments later and he was up on his feet, downing his glass of whiskey and briskly walking out of the restaurant with his head held high.

As Shaz's memories came to a halt, she decided to begin her preparation for their next move.

xxx

Alex was sat down in front of her television, looking at the pictures blindly- not paying any attention whatsoever. Her mind was else where. Where was the letter? What if Gene _had_ read it? God, she was so scared: scared of going to work, scared of looking at him again. Last night he had, in a funny sort of a way, told her how he felt- how much he hated the distance she was creating between them. She had fallen for him again- no matter how hard she had tried to stop it, it was no use. She couldn't discard these feelings, not now- not when all she could think about was him.

His messy hair, his captivating eyes, his adorable little pout… Alex pictured him then. She imagined him grabbing her around the waist and kissing her until he needed to break for oxygen. The funny thing was, she had had a dream resembling this last night. A shake of her head and she was back into reality. Did she really just imagine Gene and her together- as a couple? Was that what she wanted?

Yes, that was what she wanted.

Alex felt frustrated, she wanted him, yet she was not one for declaring underlying love- especially not to Gene Hunt! Besides, she didn't want to say it in-case he took it the wrong way. That would ruin their whole relationship as colleagues and friends if that ever happened. No, it was best to keep it to herself for now- unless he showed any obvious signs that he "liked" her too…

Alex let out an aggravated moan before burying her face into a nearby cushion. It was 8:30 in the morning and she needed to get into work- soon. She rose from the sofa and breathed in and out slowly, trying to control her hormones that were currently being a pain in her backside. Taking one last look at the clock, she grabbed her handbag and left her flat. It was a new day, a new beginning. Perhaps today she would be able to find her letter. But something in the back of her mind told her that it wouldn't be as easy as that…

**How was it guys? Do you think I gave it all away far too soon? Because if so, I can't really do much about it. O_O You already know the little secretive mission those lot are on. I must admit, I didn't really enjoy this chapter- purely because I knew what had happened before (even though I hadn't written it). So it was kind of like rewriting the second, third and fourth chapter all over again. I had to keep looking over the previous chapters so that I didn't get anything wrong! I hope you guys enjoyed it though. In the next chapter, the plot and dialogue will be back (hallelujah!).**

**All that's left to say is: I hope you are all enjoying the snow (if you have any)! I have had snow showers throughout the day but it's refusing to stick. -_- I hope you are all well. :)**

**- Claire x**


	6. Chapter 6

**OH GOD. I AM SO SORRY. I haven't updated this is such a long time, please forgive me! Admittedly though I have had a lot going on. Exams, coursework, play rehearsals, my birthday... etc. etc. Anyway, I decided to get off my lazy ass and write this today. It would have been longer, but I decided that I liked it the length it was... I think I have an ok-ish cliff hanger. ;) You'll have to judge that one for yourselves. I promise to update more regularly now though! My play will be finished next week, which will give me some more time after school!**

**Anyway, I'll stop hassling all of you lovely people who actually read this thing. :) ENJOY!  
**

Gene had no idea how he had gotten here. The day seemed to just flash by in front of him, like the blurred scenery you see out of a car window; or the quick glimpse of a bird as it swoops past. Yet, as strange as it seemed, he was able to replay every single detail of the day in his mind perfectly. It was fair to say that this had been an eventful day indeed; everything seemed to just _happen_. There was no build up, no warning…

And now, after all that had that happened that day, Gene found himself standing in front of the only person that could keep him sane in this messed-up world. Alex Drake. The very same woman who had been toying with his emotions ever since the day she set foot in his life. She was crying, and it broke his heart into pieces just watching. He wasn't the reason why she was like this, was he? Who was he kidding? Of course he was the bloody reason why. Gene took a step forward… she didn't have to do this if she didn't want to- he wouldn't care. As long as she was happy and annoying again, it didn't matter.

He took another step forward. And another. Until he was so close he could feel her breath coating his face in its generous warmth. He stood still for a minute and tried to calm himself down… She was so stunning, even though her make up had run and her eyes were tired and sore. Gene couldn't ever remember standing this close to her- it was amazing.

Suddenly, Alex rested a palm on his chest and gently pushed him away. She needed to do this. Trying to hide this secret was just getting ridiculous now, and she didn't think she could keep it within her anymore. She was breaking inside; her mind was a mess, and her heart was a bigger mess. Taking a deep breath and swallowing away her nerves, she looked down at the letter in her hands and began to read…

xxx

**Earlier…**

Alex was sat at her desk, head in hands, whilst looking blankly at the whiteboard across the room. She couldn't seem to be able to focus on anything lately- apart from Gene. Although she was trying hard not to get distracted by him; so far she was doing pretty well. For the whole day she had managed to stay professional, which meant not staring at him through the glass of his office, or fantasizing about him whilst working. The latter was never a good idea, seeing as her paperwork always seemed to end up being covered in hearts when it happened…

Snapping out of her thoughts, Alex stood up and wondered around the room. There was absolutely nothing to do: the streets of London were crime-free and all paperwork was near completion (or, in Ray's case, being avoided). In some ways it seemed _too_ quiet… nothing had been happening at all, and it was verging on being frustratingly boring.

Looking around the room, she absorbed all of the familiar faces and wondered how they could keep themselves so amused on a day like this. Her head, however, came to a grinding halt when she noticed the absence of Chris and Shaz. She looked over at Ray and noticed him look at his watch, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Ray?" Alex asked, a slight frown etched across her face.

"Mmm?" He jumped slightly, not expecting her to be talking to him.

"Where's Chris and Shaz? They were here the last time I checked."

"Uh, don't know, Ma'am…"

"Right… surely you would have seen them when they left?" Alex noticed how Ray was constantly fidgeting in his chair, avoiding eye contact with her at all costs. When he didn't reply, she walked closer to his desk and perched on the edge. "Is everything alright, Ray? You look nervous… like you're waiting for something to happen."

"Nah, Ma'am, I'm fine. Honest." Ray looked up and into his eyes. Whatever he was hiding, he was hiding it well… well, apart from his impatient little twitches!

As if on cue, Chris and Shaz entered the CID double doors. Without even glance at Alex they wondered behind their desks and started to search for work to do. Alex forced a cough, and as expected, they raised their heads to face her.

"Where have you two been?" She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

Chris, Shaz and Ray turned to face each other. "We were just tidying up the evidence room, Ma'am. You know how messy it can get at times. Especially when we leave Ray to do it!" Shaz began.

"Oi! Don't blame me for that! Besides, tidying up is a woman's job. I mean come on, blokes? Tidying?" Ray scoffed, before looking down at his desk, due to the death glares he was receiving from Shaz and Alex.

"Right, well, next time tell me where you're going before you leave, okay?" Alex ended Ray's little rant before CID became a warzone.

xxx

Viv handled the envelope in his hand. He hoped this was going to work, or else they'd all be in deep shit… even Luigi would get a bollocking from the Guv. But it was better to take a risk for love, than just not do anything at all? They were doing their senior officers a favour- no matter what, they never intended to make things harder for the two of them.

Plucking up his courage, he slid out of his desk, straightened his back and headed straight for Gene Hunt's office. He knocked on his door and entered without permission.

"Letter for you, Guv." He was out before the delivery had even fallen on Gene's desk, closing the door behind him.

Gene opened the envelope and tipped it upside down to remove its contents. Inside was an envelope addressed to him with a piece of paper attached. He ripped off the loose piece of paper, unfolded it and began to read. It was typed; therefore he could not recognise the handwriting.

_Gene,_

_Hopefully you will be reading this first, seeing as it's vital you don't read the envelope's contents: that's for DI Drake to do. Ask her to read it to you- she wrote it after all. _

Gene frowned and scratched his forehead. He had an urge to open the envelope… but they was no harm in asking Alex to read it to him instead, right? Either way he was going to find out what was inside.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the letter, he summoned her to his office. "DI Drake, here. Now!"

Alex came rushing through his door in a shot and expected him to brief her on a new case or something. He did nothing but hand her the loose piece of paper…

As she read it, her face dropped and she panicked. Looking up, she saw _the_ letter in his hands, _her_ letter. She had forgotten how to breathe and all of a sudden the world seemed to be too big. Alex wanted to hide in a deep, black hole and vanish from existence: the one thing she didn't want happening had finally _happened_. He was never meant to read it; it was just for her to read. Why did he have it? How did he get it? How was she to get out of it now? And suddenly, out of nowhere, the tears surfaced and she felt like a hormonal teenager again; dependent on someone else to answer all of her questions. They fell effortlessly as she stared at the letter in disbelief, whilst inwardly cursing herself for being so ignorant.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably minutes, Alex did the most cowardly thing she could have done. She ran away.

**O_O SHE RAN AWAY? Yes, yes she did. Next time I will be returning to the "present", if you like, I just felt like doing a flashback kind of thing in that chapter. So, what did you think? Has my inactivity affected anything in any way? **

**Thank you for reading, now, if you'd be so kind as to review... Only if you would like to, of course. :)**

**- Claire x  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologise for the delay! This was actually the most annoying thing to write ever. Not even kidding. The end bit was written JUST after I experienced my writers block, so I'm not totally happy with it, but you can be the judge of that! This is going to sound weird, but I only got motivated to do this by listening to a song I found yesterday. It's called "4 Real" by Avril Lavigne- it's from her new album "Goodbye Lullaby". IT'S WRITTEN FOR GALEX, I SWEAR. JUST LISTEN AND YOU'LL SEE!**

**But, yes, hopefully this (slightly) longer chapter will make up for my absence! :') ONWARDS, TO THE LAND OF MY WRITING! -

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**

Alex sat on the floor of her flat, crying so hard her eyes became a raw red colour and her cheeks were sticky with tears. No matter what happened now- whether Gene read the letter or not- she'd have to tell him everything. How her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, how a single touch from his hand could turn her into jelly, how she shivered when he called her name in that low, gruff voice of his… And that scared her. It scared her a lot. Alex had never been good with this kind of stuff- not even with Pete. But when she _did_ verbalise her feelings, everything always seemed to end badly. For example, her divorce with Pete. She had scared him away; causing him to have an affair with another woman. Ever since then she had been scared of being hurt. She couldn't commit to anything, anyone- excluding her daughter, Molly, of course.

But Gene wasn't _any man_, was he? Gene was so different, and her feelings for him ran deeper than imaginable. Because unlike Pete, or any other man, Alex actually _loved_ Gene, and if she were to lose him, then she would be permanently broken- never to be fixed again. _That_ was why she was scared.

She rose from the floor and entered her kitchen, taking a swig from an open bottle of house red on the counter. Well, she was going to need some Dutch courage, wasn't she? Placing the bottle back down, she wiped the remains of her tears away and grabbed her jacket. It was about time she grew up and faced the facts. She loved Gene Hunt, her DCI, her constant. So she needed to tell him now, before she fell even deeper in love with him.

Suddenly, whilst making her way to her flat door, there was a few resounding knocks on the door, followed by an extremely familiar voice.

"Bolly, open up!" Gene shouted, whilst trying the door handle, which, luckily, was locked.

"For _fuck_ sake!" Alex seethed whilst stomping her foot on the floor. Why was he always one step ahead of her?

xxx

Gene watched as Alex ran out of CID, presumably to her flat, and sighed. She was being incredibly hormonal for someone who he classed as being "ballsy" and "confident". Taking one more look at the letter in his hand, he dropped it on his desk and held his head in his hands. He wasn't going to read something that belonged to her. It wasn't right. So he decided to wait until she had calmed down, and then ask her to read it then.

If he had the guts he would have chased after her and ask what was wrong, but knowing his luck he'd be slapped so hard he'd get concussion. Besides, that would be an "unmanly" thing to do.

Taking a look outside of his office window, he noticed Shaz, Chris and Ray approaching. "Is this "have-a-party-in-my-office" day?"

"No, Guv" they said in unison, looking at each other with uneasy faces.

"It's about that letter you got, Guv," Chris began nervously, "we may have… well… written it..."

"You _what_?"

"Sorry, I mean, we didn't mean for Ma'am to run away… it wasn't, I mean, we didn't…" Chris stopped when he saw his fuming Boss' face. He lowered his head and mumbled a final "sorry".

"For crying out loud," he sighed, rubbing his forehead, "were all of you were in on this thing, whatever it is?"

Chris looked to Shaz for the go-ahead, she nodded her reply. "Well… er… Luigi and Viv were in on it too... but, yeah, we all did it. B-but we did it for the Ma'am's own good!"

"I guess I'd better go sort this out before she does something stupid- like drinking herself to death, or hitting on the first man she sees. Let's hope to God she doesn't start flirting with Luigi, eh?"

Gene rose from his seat, taking the letter as he went and ushered his team out of his office before following them.

"Guv?" Ray shouted from his desk, Gene swiveled around, "you didn't read the letter, did you?"

"Nope." He said simply whilst walking out of the double doors.

On his way to Luigi's, Gene felt a sudden pang of nervousness. What was in this letter that she couldn't tell him? And why was it so important to Shaz, Ray and Chris that he knew? He couldn't make sense of any of this. The only thing he could work out, however, was that the letter obviously had something to do with him. _What_, exactly, was a total mystery to him.

Gene remembered the tape incident and cringed. Listening to that tape had hurt him, like a knife twisting and turning through the muscles of his heart, tearing away everything so he could feel nothing. Even now, all these months later, it still pained him to think about it. Together they had built a relationship, one that towered higher than it had with any other woman Gene had been with, and alone she had knocked it down.

Fortunately they were able to rebuild that relationship… but if this letter of hers was anything like the tape, then their relationship would be over, professionally _and_ personally.

Gene stilled at Alex's door and took advantage of his last seconds of ignorance.

xxx

Alex took a deep breath and opened her flat door, plastering a "normal-looking" expression on her face, pretending that she _hadn't_ run out crying on him earlier.

"Gene?"

"Alex." Gene cursed; he hadn't planned out what he was going to say. Instead, he held the sealed envelope up for her eyes to feast on. Before she had time to shut the door in his face, Gene took two steps into her flat and shut the door himself.

As soon as she saw the letter she became swallowed in emotion all over again. Also, the plan of telling him she loved him was out of the window- she was too scared to do it now, especially seeing as he had the upper hand.

"Gene, please, just give it to me and we can forget this ever happened," she pleaded. "It's really not that important, Gene…"

"_Not important_? So why have half of my team handed me this thing, telling me that it's important you read it to me? What are you hiding from me, Alex? Because if you don't tell me, I'll read it myself." He threatened, shoving the letter into her hands whilst giving her a hard glare.

After a few moments of silence, Alex opened the envelope.

"You were never meant to know about this, you know." She laughed despite herself, "I guess it's my fault for taking it into work and expecting nothing to happen…" Alex threw the envelope on her sofa and held the single piece of paper in her hand. "Just promise me something?"

"Promise what?"

"Promise me that you won't run away when I'm finished? Or worse, stand there and say nothing?" Gene almost laughed, but the thought was quickly vanished after witnessing the plea in Alex's eyes. Instead he nodded his head and waited for her to begin to read… but she didn't.

She couldn't.

And she began shaking violently. And the tears came falling down her face like rain drops pouring from the sky on a winter's day. When she looked up, she saw Gene stepping towards her; his eyes were different than before. The angriness had disappeared and was replaced with something she couldn't quite put her finger on. He was so close now. She was drowning in his smell and warmth, and for a moment she thought she was going to give in and kiss him. But she didn't. Instead, Alex put her free hand on his chest and gently pushed him away, closing her eyes for a moment before she began to speak.

"_Gene, __I don't really know why I'm going through with this- this letter, I mean. I'm not sending it to you anyway. You could never understand how I feel about you, even if you did read it. _

_I remember the first time I saw you; your macho bravado, your pathetic sexist jokes, your old-fashioned ways. You see, I don't usually fall for men like you, but there's something different about you…Something I can't put my finger on- but I know that's why I'm…I'm in love with you…"_

Alex looked up at Gene, silently asking whether to continue or not. Surely she had said enough? At least he now knew what the letter was about, right?

Gene nodded his head towards the letter, subtly asking her to carry on reading. _The bastard, _Alex thought.

"_We shout and we argue continuously- but that's something I can't help doing. That spark in your eyes when you know you're right makes me… melt inside, and that famous pout you use, whilst in any mood, makes me want to…" _she paused for a moment, shuddering at the nest few words,_ "… kiss you so badly. I like to argue with you because it makes us seem more intimate, more like a couple. Right now that's what I'm craving: for us to be a couple." _

Alex closed her eyes tight and awaited some sort of rude remark or a laugh. She received nothing at all.

xxx

Gene was at a loss for words. How could he even breathe? This woman had just told him she _loved him_, that she wanted them to be a _couple_, and all he could do was stand there and listen. He felt an unusual pain in his chest, one that he hadn't ever experienced much before- it felt good.

How long had she been hiding these emotions? Because the way she was speaking, it sounded like he was a disease eating away at her, intoxicating her with everything _him_.

Various words and phrases caught his ear and she continued:

"W_anting to be wrapped up your arms and kissed by your tender lips."_

"Y_ou're the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the only person I dream of whilst I'm asleep."_

"_You own me, Hunt. You don't know it yet, but you do. For three years I have belonged to you, three very long years."_

But then he heard the last paragraph, and he felt smothered in guilt. The way she said it, almost with realisation that maybe she _couldn't_ have him. Maybe he belonged to someone else. Of course he bloody well didn't, the silly mare. He had never been interested in anyone but her.

"_I wish you felt the same way about me. Who knows, there may be a slim chance that you do; but you'd never say it. Not Gene Hunt, not the Manc Lion. You're too "manly" for that. But I may be wrong. You may already have someone in your life- someone I don't know of. You may spend every night curled up in bed, with her head on your chest as it rises and falls with your intake of breath. She could be everything I'm not: easy, simple, curves in the right places. But I hope (if you are with a woman) she treats you with the amount of love you deserve- the amount of love I could give you. __**I**__ could give you everything, Gene. I could give you my body, my heart, my soul."_

"Gene?" Her small voice roused him from his thoughts. "Say something?"

"There's no one, Alex." He said softly.

"Oh… good…" she offered the letter to him and he declined.

"You keep it, Alex..."

"Ok…" she nodded, "So… what happens now?"

Gene contemplated for a moment. If he walked out, it would ruin them- _both_ of them. No doubt it would result in a transfer for her… He loved her, no doubt about that. But what did he do from here? He wasn't good with this stuff. At all.

"Erm… I do…" Gene mumbled.

"You do what?"

"Feel the same way as you do." He looked her in the eyes as confirmation that he was dead serious.

"What, you love me? Or are you just saying this to please me?" she said bitterly.

"No! I love you. I do."

"Oh… I'm glad." she smiled, despite the awkward situation they both found themselves in. Then, after plucking up the courage she had lost before, she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, whilst keeping her head far enough away to look up at him. "Gene?"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me." He needed no more encouragement; his lips were on hers as soon as the words slipped from her mouth. A slow, yet passionate kiss began, which left them both satisfied and surprised. Teeth nipped and tongues dueled until they both were breathless and in need of oxygen.

"I love you." Alex whispered repeatedly as she kissed his lips several more times.

"I love you too, Bolls… but, please, next time you want to tell me that, don't go and write a bloody letter about it. I have ears, you know."

* * *

**I kind of cringe at the end bit. That was the worse thing to write- it was just so HARD. It couldn't be too soppy! So it's just awkwardness throughout... felt like putting a little *awkward turtle* in there somewhere... Anyway, this ISN'T the last chapter, although I could easily end it there (would like to know what you think). Erm, I'm thinking epilogue, or maybe another chapter and THEN and epilogue. Chris, Ray, Shaz, Viv and Luigi can't get off that easily, can they? *Asks Gene*... NO, HE SAYS THEY CAN'T!**

**Thanks for reading, please read and review!**

**- Claire x**


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